media at center stage

by deborah malone

Alan Rutherford, Unilever’s London-based vice
president, global media, talks about media trends,
consumer response and responsible marketing

When Unilever’s Alan Rutherford was recently asked by inter national ist Publisher Deborah Malone how the role of media had changed, he didn’t hesitate: “Media,” he said, “has moved to the center of the agenda.” He continued: “It is gratifying to be part of the industry at this time. Managing a discipline that is now at center stage is great.”

“In talking to Rutherford, one sees how he combines two complementary aspects of media in all his thinking,” says Malone. “The first is his keen awareness of the connection between media trends and consumer response. For him, ‘media reflects the consumer’s world,’ so the consumption of media can provide key insights into how any Unilever brand message might be best presented and accepted. The second aspect focuses on how effective marketing for multinationals today is very much tied to making media innovation center stage, and on a global level.” Here is more of their conversation.

How does media’s impact on the lives of consumers affect your brand marketing?

For a company like Unilever with so many personal care brands, much of our inspiration today comes from clear trends set by the media. For example, a television program like Pop Idol, with its many local incarnations around the world, has demonstrated that the appeal of the talent search resonates strongly with consumers. It has certainly influenced our thinking about brand communications and how we can interact with our customers with a sense of contemporary authenticity.
Of course, today’s extraordinary fascination with celebrity also permeates all media, and marketers must come to understand what this means for the relevance of their brand. I’m not suggesting that everything about the celebrity fad is good. I’m simply stating that if contemporary culture drives marketing, then one has no choice but to understand the interest in the trend.

What’s an example of that at Unilever?

Our approach to the Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” campaign certainly acknowledges something about the impact of supermodels or of celebrity, but it is treated in a way that is culturally relevant to the brand ethos. Beauty does not mean “model thin” for everyone. Any confident woman can be an individual (or even a celebrity) in her own right. Of course, the message furthers the Dove brand values, but we would also like to think that it furthers the self esteem of womanhood.

As media and advertising become increasingly more global, how is Unilever approaching the challenges of cross-cultural branding?

In my last seven years at Unilever, I have seen so many messages reflect cultural change. We are now running a campaign around the world for Omo laundry detergent with a theme that “dirt is good.” Statistics worldwide demonstrate that more children are engaged in more indoor activities than ever before given the strong interest in television and computers. The “dirt is good” campaign encourages them to get out and play — not only for exercise (which is important), but to explore nature and learn the joy of team sports. In Brazil, football great Ronaldo is our advocate for “dirt is good,” and Omo is even packaged there in the shape of a football. The campaign works in markets from New Zealand to South Asia — all with local relevance.

One of our most exciting new media developments is the Sunsilk “Gang of Girls.” The Sunsilk hair care products are targeted to younger women aged 16-24, and in India, we used the brand to create a social networking Web site as a means of communicating about issues of interest to woman in that age group. Although it may have started as a means for discussing hair care and beauty tips, it became a true social network where this “gang of girls” could safely chat about boyfriends, marriage, and countless other significant issues. We filled a void among women in a market that didn’t have any other broad means of shared communications.

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